The next one is the highest-ranking EP on my list. It shouldn't be hard to figure out...

So, not one fucking guess? You people are no fun. Anyway,

16. Giant Squid - Cenotes

So here's perhaps the least shocking album on the list. What might be a bit shocking, though, is that the album isn't rated even higher than it is, but hey - I'm trying to be honest here. The five songs which appear on this EP are great - there's no doubt about that - but the primary issues with this album as a whole are that it's simply too short, and to a lesser degree, that due to the album's brevity, it just doesn't quite seem fully-developed. However, at only five tracks, it's still well over thirty minutes long, and like I said the songs themselves are fantastic. Kudos to Jackie Gratz for taking even more risk on vocals, and to both her and Aaron for not only taking their song writing to new levels, but also for getting even more personal in the subject matter. Everything about this album indicates that the next full batch of songs by this one-of-a-kind band will be utterly fantastic, and after all, that's pretty much everything an EP should do.

...by the way, I also updated the review for Fucked Up above if you care to check it out.

The one after that can best be described as, "what pure rage sounds like".

15. Anaal Nathrakh - Passion

Shortest possible review is that it's not quite as ridiculously good as it's predecessor, but that it's still amazingly good. Slightly longer version is that, even though the album as a whole doesn't quite maintain the insane level of intensity as "Black Widow", there are still plenty of shockingly awesome moments. For example, even though the above clue "what rage sounds like" could be an apt description of not only the entire album as well as the whole of Anaal Nathrakh's catalog in general, the thing I really had in mind when I came up with the clue was one of the album's highlights - the almost scary "Tod Huetet Uebel", where the screaming vocals transcend mere death growls to become something different entirely. I specifically remember feeling almost concerned for the artist shreiking away into the microphone when I first heard this track. I couldn't tell if it was fear or rage that I was actually hearing, but it sure as fuck got my attention. The rest of the album is the same way - it's just...extremely intense - and so, so good.

The next one includes some of the best Bolt Thrower worship since Bolt Thrower themselves.

14. Landmine Marathon - Gallows

Much like Arch Enemy, who proudly wear their love for grindcore founding fathers Carcass on their sleeves, Landmine Marathon make no secrets about the influence that the legends in Bolt Thrower have had on their sound (and even if they didn't admit it outright, one could hear it within a few minutes of listening). Also similarly to Arch Enemy, this band has a female screamer at the front of the stage who, although she admittedly may not be at all difficult to watch, can certainly hold her own with any dude in the business. The thing that really makes this band great, though, has less to do with who the frontperson is than it does with the fact that their riffs, like Bolt Thrower's, are just so unforgettably, ridiculously good. When these folks settle into one of their deep, infectious grooves and just start grinding shit up like a gigantic war machine, all I want to do is bang my head and thrash around and break shit. It's that simple. The music speaks for itself. No gimmicks necessary. This band eats other bands for a nice between-meals snack, and this is one of their best albums. Period.

Maybe I actually will finish this. I only had thirteen albums to go when I stopped the last time, and I already have reviews written for seven of them. Plus, the albums still deserve mentioning - even if they came out last year.